What Trump says Comey told him about being cleared

When asked whether the FBI's Russian Federation investigation is fake news, or a "witch hunt", as Trump called it this morning in another tweet, Clapper told MSNBC on Friday: "I don't believe it is".

Now, in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, Trump has admitted it did. He knew full well that his sober, serious-minded complaints about the FBI director's handling of the Clinton email investigation would be used as cover for making a fundamentally corrupt personnel decision, and he chose to lend the president his hard-won credibility the way a guy with a clean record might help a buddy with a checkered past hide a murder weapon. "It hasn't recovered from that". She added that she didn't believe it was inappropriate for Trump to ask Comey if he was under investigation.

That's a remarkable admission, given the delineation most presidents and Federal Bureau of Investigation directors are careful to try to draw. That has to be allowed to play itself out, preferably through a special prosecutor.

Comey was so careful, for example, to avoid the appearance of impropriety that during the Obama years, the 6-feet-8-inch Comey was sure to never play basketball with the then-president. He said that Comey was a "showboat" and that he had been thinking of firing him for some time. He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on. But Comey did not need to do that. Any other country. And I want that to be so strong and so good.

Trump faces accusations from Democrats that he fired Comey to hinder the FBI investigation into USA intelligence agency allegations that Russian Federation meddled in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump.

The Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday subpoenaed former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for documents related to its investigation into Russia's election meddling.

Trump abruptly relieved Comey of his duties Tuesday. During a debate a year ago, Trump said that he when he calls women "fat pigs and slobs" he's only talking about Rosie.

Spicer said he would not comment on Trump's claim that he recorded conversations with Comey.

The source also contradicted Trump's claims that Comey requested a dinner with the president, saying, "it is absolutely untrue that Jim asked to have dinner or that he asked to have his job".

Asked about his suggestion in a tweet earlier on Friday that there might be recordings of his conversations with Comey, Trump said: "That I can't talk about".

The president said he supports the investigation, saying, "Look I want to find out if there was a problem with an election having to do with Russian Federation".

He also said that he had heard he was not under investigation during a committee hearing.

Former Republican congressman Mike Rogers is being considered as a candidate to replace Comey, a senior White House official said.